CHICO – The Chico State volleyball team gets one more opportunity this weekend to work out any kinks before the start of conference play, as the 3-0 Wildcats travel to Rohnert Park to take part in the Sonoma State-hosted Seawolf Spike Tournament. The ’Cats will take on Dominican University Friday at 9 a.m., followed by a 1:30 p.m. match versus Seattle Pacific. Chico State wraps up the tournament Saturday with a 9 a.m. tilt against Central Washington and a 1:30 p.m. matchup with No. 18 Western Washington.
Chico State dropped just one set in winning three straight matches at last weekend’s season-opening Humboldt State Volleyball Tournament. A sweep of the Seawolf Spike Tournament would give the Wildcats the program’s best season start since Head Coach Cody Hein took over the program in 2003.
Chico State has won the Seawolf Spike twice in the five year history of the tournament, with championships in 2006 and 2008. The Wildcats own the best all-time record in the event of any school, winning 17 of 20 matches since 2006. The Seawolf Spike Tournament was not held last season.
The ’Cats will face several talented opponents this weekend. Dominican University, which lost to the Wildcats in last Friday’s season opener, is 1-2 on the season. The Penguins’ lone win was a five-set victory Aug. 31 against the host Lumberjacks at the Humboldt State Tournament.
Seattle Pacific, a member of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC), enters the weekend with a 2-3 record. The Falcons, which has reached the NCAA Championship Tournament the past three year, kicked off the 2012 season last weekend by splitting four matches at the Hawaii Pacific Invitational in Honolulu, followed by a four-set loss Tuesday to San Francisco State.
Western Washington, the preseason favorite in the GNAC, opened the season with four straight victories for the first time since 2008, breaking into the national top 25. The Vikings went undefeated at last weekend’s Western Oregon Invitational, beating Florida Southern, Cal State L.A., Grand Valley State and Missouri S&T.
Wildcat fans can follow all four tournament matches via Live Stats, as well as live internet video streaming for the Dominican and Central Washington matches.
CLICK HERE for LiveStats of the Dominican University and Central Washington matches.
CLICK HERE for LiveStats of the Seattle Pacific and Western Washington matches.
CLICK HERE for live video streaming of the Dominican University and Central Washington matches only.
CLICK HERE for the Seawolf Spike Tournament website.
Chico State begins California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) play Sept. 14-15, hosting Cal Poly Pomona and Humboldt State at Acker Gym.
